Beer Style: Belgian Style Quadrupel Ale
Hop Variety: Sterling
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, Aromatic malt, Cara-45, Cara-20, Special B
Sugars: Belgian Candy Sugar
OG: 1.085 ABV: 10.0% IBUs: 24 Color: Tawny
The Reverend, was created in tribute to the life of our friend Tom Boogaard’s grandfather, an ordained Episcopal Reverend. Tom was inspired by the life of his grandfather and wanted to create a tribute beer that contained his sterling traits. True to the spirit and character of the departed Reverend, this beer is strong willed, assertive, and pure of heart.

Our brewers included as many authentic imported Belgian specialty malts as they could, making this the perfect beer for folks who love malty beers and are ready to take the next step. A divinely complex and beautifully layered beer with hints of dark cherries, currants, and molasses, complimented by an underlying spiciness. Sinfully smooth considering the high alcohol content.

The Reverend is the second installment of “The Holy Trinity of Ales” series.

My first quadrupel. Pours a light amber with a decent white head. The aroma of malt so sweet you can taste it bannana, citrus. tastes of sweet caramel malt and fruit with a decent hop balace. You can taste the power of the alcohol, but not too overpowering. Peaches,bannanas. I already need another. These could be addictive.

I've never had a quad before, so I'll try to rate it as best I can without having much to compare it to.Pour produced an impressive light tan head. I'm not sure how this is possible for such a high alcohol content, but it lingered for a very long time and left some of the most impressive lacing I've ever seen. Doesn't make any sense, but I swear that's what happened. I didn't even chill the glass either.Colour is a light, transparent mahongany with a great deal of large sediment clumps floating around throughout. Not enough to cloud the beverage, though.The smell is very yeasty, very much of apricot and quite sweet.Taste is more of the same. Very Belgian. The yeast taste is very strong. Rotting apricot is the dominant flavour. There's good maltiness and some mild alcohol flavour to fill it out, but that's really all it is; filler. The yeasty, rotting apricot flavour dominates. I'm glad to see no hop bitterness is noticeable, but I was hoping for some more alcohol burn in such a strong, sweet brew. It's very well hidden, not so much among complexity as just behind the sweet, yeasty fruit flavour. I can certainly feel the alcohol's affect. I almost didn't rewrite this review after my first one was deleted because Beer Advocate made me log back in. Why the hell it forcibly logged me out to begin with, I can't imagine. I logged in under an hour ago and haven't left the effing page. But let's not let my frustration ruin a perfectly good review. I am surprised by how much I enjoyed this brew considering how dominant a part the strong Belgian yeast flavour played a part. I'm not usually a fan of such styles, but this was just fine. It makes me want to perhaps try another quad one day and not give up on Belgian beers as some other examples have made me want to do. If an anti-yeast-flavour drinker such as myself can enjoy this, it must be good. I suggest giving it a try.

Update:After having my second one of these, I think even more highly of it. It's the cheapest quad I've come across and still the best so far. The flavour is so complex, and very conservative on hop use, allowing me to really pick up on the whole range of the palate. This is possibly the best beer I've ever had. So, possibly also the best for the money since it's almost affordable for a quad. Some of the better budget beers can still compete, though, since they're SO cheap. But this is definitely up there in the top 5 best beers for the money. It's amazingly delicious. I didn't think I was into yeasty beers and this little gem proved me wrong.

I've been drinking this beer for a solid 6 months now, so it is time for a review. This beer has so many layers and is so complex, it is pretty amazing. Other reviewers give this one a heavy alcohol smell, but I can't detect it and my wife who is VERY sensitive says no to the heaviness after she saw some of these reviews as well. This weekend we picked up a few other popular American quads and still the Reverend comes out on top. The complexity of this beer is mind blowing, there is really nothing like it I've ever had. It pours OK, I gave it a 4 out of 5. This quad goes down so smooth, but it isn't heavy like a typical Belgian quad. It does have the "this beer will Fu@k you up" if you drink it fast though. Be warned. I REALLY wish Avery would 4 or 6 pack this one, $7 bombers are getting expensive so this limits us to a Reverend a week.

My first impressision of the beer was an incredible sweetness followed by the nice yeast flavor and the spicy- like cloves- undertones. The yeast does not overpower the flavor by any means. Finishes slightly bitter. I thought the carbonation was very good; not as bubbly as I would have expected, and it gave the mouthfeel a heavier body. Not a lot of head (perhaps I poured it well) but still nice lace rings on the glass after each sip (gulp).

I've had many Belgian ales where the cabonation was popping on the tongue, and while I still appreciate that, this one didn't do it, and it was a very pleasant change. Likewise with bold, up front, yeasts in many other Belgian styles.

If you can rank beer by the number of times I said "Omigod!" during its disappearance, then this is a ten.

Appearance: This beer poured orange/red copper tone with a slightly off white head that rapidly disapated,leaveing a thin trail of lacing behind.

Smell: Belgian malts,sweet candied fruits, and an alcohol aroma that doesn't suggest it is a small beer.Has that lambic-kreik scent to this one.

Taste: Begian malts and a citrusy hop profile can be detected.The alcohol definitley lets itself be known,along with that lambic-kreik flavor. Has a Belgian sugary woods effect to me.Meaning,Im getting a touch of nut and pines all rolled into a sugary bliss.Mmmm...

Mouthfeel: On the tongue I sense a silky,smooth and yet a little grainy/bubbley substance thats just trickles down with ease.Leaving with a vapor of alcohol thats says " forget me not"...Yea, im drunk so what!

Drinkability: Well,due to the high abv. I dont think I could put a few of these away but a most definitely great night cap.And of course a must buy,must drink,must savor...

Up close it looks dark yet see through amber-highlighted dark copper. black cherry cola??head rises high but fades almost imediately to foamy islands.

The aroma is quite sweet with ripe dark fruits candied sugar and clove.

Complex yet balanced flavor. A touch more sweet than spice. candied sugar and ripened bananas as well as other fruits lead the parade but are kept from getting to cloying by spice. some alcohol is also noticable on the follow though.

Slick and a notch less than syrupy. body is medium full and although ample carbonation is present, when compared to Belgian versions, one may call this under-carbonated.

I have yet to be dissapointed by Avery's big bomber lineup -add yet another winner. @ 7 bucks for 22 ounces for a delicious quad, this one is a no-brainer.